Kindred Spirits
by jazzpha
Summary: Slight AU. In addition to gloves, Elsa gets a book from her father as a gift for her eleventh birthday. It turns out to be a magical book, tied to a once-powerful group of Mages long since gone. But one of them is still listening... and when Elsa reads the book, she finds herself entertaining a very special visitor indeed. Jelsa. Birthday fic for Masayume85. NOW WITH AN EPILOGUE!
1. Jack Frost

**Kindred Spirits**

**Chapter 1: Jack Frost**

* * *

"Here," Elsa's father told her, slipping the small white garments over her hands, "the gloves will help. See? Conceal it. Don't feel it.

"Don't let it show," he finished, and smiled sadly as Elsa joined in.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," the King told his daughter. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen to you."

"I know," Elsa said. "It's not your fault. It's—"

"No, it isn't your fault, either," her father cut her off. "Don't blame yourself. The Fates work in mysterious ways, Elsa. You had nothing to do with this, do you understand?"

Elsa nodded, but all the reassurance in the world didn't change the fact that when her father left the room, she would be alone again. Shut up in her furnished little cage.

"Here," the King said, surprising Elsa and snapping her out of her thoughts. "I brought you something else. Another present. I think you might like this one more," he finished, smiling warmly this time as he produced a copy of a large book, bound in a black-leather cover.

"It's a book of old tales," Elsa's father told her, watching as she opened it slowly and looked over the detailed, intricate illustrations with wide eyes. "I found it wasting away in the library and had it restored. I thought maybe there might be something in there about… about your powers."

"Thank you, father," Elsa said, putting the book down on a nearby table before giving the King a hug. "It's lovely."

The King lingered for a few more moments before taking his leave, closing and locking the door behind him as he left. Trying to keep her sadness at bay as the feeling of isolation closed in around her again, Elsa picked up the book, plopped down on the floor, and began to read it.

"There was a time," she began, reading the words out loud, "when men could shape nature with their magic. In the North, there were the Ice Mages."

Here Elsa hesitated for a moment, smiling as she realized that there had been other people before her with this kind of power.

"The Ice Mages," she continued, "built castles of ice and snow that never melted, not to sun or to fire. Their towers stretched to the sky, like the z… the ze… hmmm… the zenith of a mountain. Hmm, that must be the top," Elsa mused, rolling the new word around in her mouth some more. "Zeenith. Zeh-nith. Zenith."

She liked the sound. Maybe someday, she would build herself a tower as tall as a mountain. Somewhere she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone.

Shaking her head and blinking away her sadness, Elsa continued.

"The Ice Mages lived in harmony with nature for a time," she read, "but then they began to push beyond the balance of nature. They fell into cha… chaos? Oh, so that's how you spell it." Elsa smiled with pride, then cleared her throat and continued. "They fell into chaos, and war. Over time, the Ice Mages became fewer and fewer until almost none of them were left. The ones who survived went into hiding, or married normal humans and kept their powers secret."

Elsa paused, wondering if that was how she'd been born with the powers she had. Was one of her grandparents an Ice Mage, or her great-grandparents?

The princess was thrown out of her thoughts by the sound of… clapping?

What?

"That was good! That was good!" a voice spoke out from behind her, reminding Elsa of Anna's gleefulness. "Read some more!"

Elsa dropped the book and spun around, finding herself face-to-face with…

A boy?

He seemed to be about eleven, Elsa's age, but his appearance was something other than human. His face was pale as snow, along with the rest of his skin, and his hair was so white it almost glowed faintly in the sunlight. His eyes were blue, bright and piercing.

The boy's face fell as Elsa stared at him, slack-jawed and confused.

"Well?" he asked. "Aren't you gonna keep reading? You were just getting to the fun part!"

"Who… who _are _you?" Elsa asked at last, wondering if she should just call for the guards and be done with it.

"I'm Jack," the boy said, sticking his chest out and smiling proudly. "Jack Frost. Nice t' meet ya."

"How did you get in here?"

"Huh? What d'you mean? You read the book."

Elsa blinked at him, waiting for the rest of the answer. Jack looked back at her wondering why she still looked so confused.

"It's a magic book," Jack continued at last. "When anyone reads it who's special like you— like _us_— we can tell. Then we get to come say 'hi'!" he finished, smiling wide. "I didn't think you'd be here alone, though."

"Wait," Elsa said, "you're one of them… an Ice Mage?"

"Well, yeah," Jack said, "duh. But so are you, lady! That's the point."

"I'm Elsa," the princess introduced herself, curtseying. "But, if I'm like you, an Ice Mage, then why isn't my skin all pale?"

"Because your parents were both normal humans," Jack said. "Both of my parents were Ice Mages, descended from some of the first ones."

Elsa found herself at a loss for words, not quite remembering how to make small talk with people who weren't her family. Jack began to shift his weight back and forth from foot to foot, looking around the room and waiting.

"Well…" he said at last, trying to break the awkward silence, "it was nice meeting you, Elsa. But I should go."

"Wait!" She called out as Jack turned around, only to stop herself and regain her composure as he turned back around to face her again. "You can't leave. You just got here," Elsa continued, trying not to sound pleading.

Jack smiled, understanding in his eyes. He pointed to the book.

"Can I see that?"

Elsa handed it over, and Jack opened the front cover to the first blank sheet of thin velum. He bit his thumb hard enough to break the skin, and quickly wrote a series of runes on the page in blood. Elsa flinched, but Jack seemed untroubled as he blew a small gust of cold air over the letters to cool them dry.

"There," he said, handing the book back to Elsa. "That's my name. Whenever you want to talk or anything, just read my name from the book and I'll come if I can. Deal?"

Elsa nodded, risking a tentative smile of her own.

"Deal," she said. "Does that… does that mean we're friends?"

"I guess," Jack said, "if you want to be. I like making friends!"

His smile was infectious, and reminded Elsa of Anna once again. She squashed the melancholy that accompanied the thought, focusing on the happiness of the present.

"Then that's that," she said. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Jack Frost."

"Same here," Jack replied, far more casually than Elsa's dignified recitation taken from her mother's lessons on manners. "And I don't know if anyone's ever told you this, Elsa," he said, "but you're really pretty."

The unexpected compliment caught Elsa off-guard, and by the time she got her bearings back she was alone. Fighting back the rare color of an unexpected blush, she sat back down on the floor and opened her book again. As she did so, her fingers passed over the red letters of Jack's name, and Elsa smiled.

Even if her parents wouldn't let her see Anna, at least now she had a secret friend only she knew about. Someone they couldn't take away from her.

* * *

Elsa sat slumped against her door, desperate to tell Anna the truth but also knowing full well what revealing her powers would mean. Hearing her sister's reluctant footsteps trailing away from her room broke Elsa's heart even further, and it was then that she finally let her tears fall. They froze against her cheeks, staying there for a few heartbeats before breaking away and shattering against the floor.

It was a few more moments before Elsa realized there was someone else in the room with her, but she couldn't even muster the strength to lift her head.

"I came as soon as I heard," Jack's voice whispered softly. "Elsa, I'm so sorry."

Elsa's body shook with a sob, and she let herself be lifted upwards and forwards into a gentle embrace.

"I know what this feels like," Jack said, "and I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

Elsa said nothing, trying to think about anything other than the tragedy. Jack was warm; warmer than she'd thought he would be. Elsa closed her eyes and relaxed against him, grateful for the silence that followed. He simply held her, until a few minutes later when she stepped back with a sigh.

"Thank you," she said, offering Jack a weak smile. "I needed that."

"Glad to help," he said, smiling in kind. "Least I can do, really. You're the only friend I've got left, Elsa."

"What? What do you mean?"

Jack sighed.

"All the other Ice Mages are gone," he said. "Hunted each other down. I stayed out of it, but I was the only one who did."

"Oh, Jack," Elsa said, reaching up to gently brush her fingertips against his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," he said softly, taking her hand in his and smiling. "But I'll be fine… I always knew it would end like this, sooner or later. And this isn't the time for my grief, either. Are you going to be all right?"

"I… I should be able to manage," Elsa said. "I just wish I could be there for Anna, but I can't. I feel like the worst big sister ever!"

"It's not your fault," Jack said, looking her in the eyes. "None of this is."

"I know," Elsa replied, "but that doesn't make it hurt any less."

Jack leaned forward and pressed a tentative kiss against Elsa's forehead, the feeling of it lasting for only a few fleeting heartbeats, but lingering slightly even after he'd stepped back again.

"Just give it time," he said, and Elsa couldn't be sure if there was a faint trace of red in his pale cheeks or not. "All pain fades in time. And I'm just a few words away, if you ever need me."

"I appreciate that, Jack. Thank you."

Jack nodded and turned to walk away, stopping only when he heard Elsa's voice.

"How did you find me this time?" she asked. "I never said your name out loud."

"Lucky guess," Jack explained. "Your room hadn't moved, and you hadn't either."

And then, with a wave of his hand, Jack Frost conjured a small cloud of wintry white. It started at his feet and reached up to coil all around him… and when it was gone, so was he.

Over the next three years, the two of them met and talked, just as often about serious things as silly ones. And then, shortly after Elsa and Jack had both turned 17, the time came for Elsa's coronation as the new Queen of Arendelle.

Jack knew it was coming, but she didn't call for him, and so he figured she had her reasons. But when Elsa had been silent even into the late hours of the night, Jack took the risk and used his magic to travel to Elsa's room.

When he got there, Jack found it empty. She was gone, with no note or any other trace left as to a destination.

But she didn't need to have left one, in the end—the unnatural, eerie winter that had fallen over Arendelle spoke volumes. Elsa had lost control of her powers, and Jack hadn't been there to help. He'd failed her, in the moment when she'd needed him most.

And even though he had the ability to track her down, Jack chose not to. He vanished into the night, keeping an ear to the wind for the sound of his name.

If Elsa called, he would come.

And even though the call didn't come in the days that followed, or the weeks that came on the heels of the winter's thaw, Jack Frost never stopped listening for the sound of his name.


	2. Declarations

**Kindred Spirits**

**Chapter 2: Declarations**

* * *

"This is awful," Elsa groaned, letting her forehead slump down to hit the tabletop in front of her. "I thought birthdays were supposed to be fun, not torture."

"Eighteen's a big year," Anna said, trying to comfort her sister by putting an arm around her shoulders. "Usually most girls your age are already engaged. And when you add in that you're, well, the _Queen_…" Anna shrugged. "My guess is a lot of eligible, noble bachelors have a lot of impatient, noble parents hounding them to start knocking on your door."

"I don't care about getting married, though," Elsa said, raising her head back up off the table. "This week was supposed to be about getting to know the people in Arendelle, not about finding out which one of them wants to rope me into marriage the most!"

Thin lines of ice had begun to creep across the wood by the time Elsa was done speaking, signs of her power that she was quick to erase seconds later.

"I know it's ridiculous, but it's just politics," Kristoff joined in, pausing to take another sip of mulled wine. "Besides, if you don't like any of them, you can just say so. It's not like any of the dukes or whoever can force you to marry someone you don't want to."

"It's still a huge pain," Elsa grumbled, taking a liberal gulp from her own wine cup before leaning back in her chair with a sigh. "Every young man I've talked to so far has either been scared of me, or so arrogant it made me want to punch them."

"Hey," Anna broke in, smiling, "that's my thing. You need a jerk punched in the face, you come to me."

Elsa smiled at her sister, but the moment was interrupted by the arrival of the Queen's personal courier.

"Please tell me we don't have more visitors today," Elsa said, and the look on the courier's face made her heart sink.

"Just… send them away, or something," the Queen said wearily. "I'm exhausted."

"My Lady," the courier said, "these are not suitors. It is your cousin, Princess Rapunzel of Corona, and her husband, Prince Fitzherbert."

"Prince _who-now_?" Kristoff asked, not believing his ears.

Elsa, meanwhile, had undergone an instant metamorphosis. She'd leapt to her feet, a wide smile on her face where a frown had been just seconds earlier.

"Send them in!" she said. The courier bowed and left, and the Queen and Princess shared an excited look.

"They came after all," Elsa said. "They came!"

A few moments later the courier reappeared, accompanied by Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene Fitzherbert. Elsa almost knocked Rapunzel off her feet with the force of her hug, while Anna was slightly more careful with Eugene.

"Oh, thank you so much for making the trip," Elsa told Rapunzel as she and her cousin broke apart. "I know how long it takes."

"Hey, that's what family's for," Rapunzel said with a smile. "Wouldn't miss a birthday like this for the world. 'Sides, it's been way too long since we got to spend some time together. Your coronation was so crazy I didn't even get to see you!"

"You were at my coronation?" Elsa asked, her surprise quickly turning into worry. "You didn't get… caught up in that sudden winter storm, did you?"

"We did," Eugene said, "but it really wasn't much trouble," he added quickly, seeing the look of mortification on Elsa's face. "Trust me when I say we've been through worse."

"I'm sorry, all the same," the Queen insisted.

"Don't be," Rapunzel said. "Nobody died, and we all got back home safe and sound. I'm just sorry we didn't stick around for a bit after the thaw, but we figured you had your hands full."

"You could put it that way, yeah," Anna said, smiling. "Lots to catch up on. Oh, by the way," she continued, motioning over to Kristoff, "this is my boyfriend, Kristoff. Kristoff, this is my cousin Rapunzel and her husband, Eugene."

"Pleasure," Kristoff said, nodding in greeting.

"Kristoff is Arendelle's official Ice Master and Deliverer," Anna explained, her voice fairly glowing with pride. "A very prestigious position."

"Sure sounds like it," Eugene said. "Nice to meet you, Kristoff. Hey, Elsa," the prince continued, "I don't mean to pry, but for someone who's a few days into a weeklong celebration, you don't look particularly celebratory. Something wrong?"

"You could say that," Elsa answered, taking another pull on her cup of mulled wine before continuing. "Most of the people coming to wish me a prosperous reign have been suitors."

"Yikes," Rapunzel said, looking over at her cousin sympathetically. "Well, Eugene and I are here to stay, at least until the end of the festivities. If there's anything we can do, just say the word."

Elsa smiled, grateful to have her family around her like this when she really needed them. Her smile was closely followed by a yawn, the fatigue of the day's events suddenly hitting her as the wine began to flow to her head.

"C'mon," Anna said, helping her sister to her feet. "Let's get you to bed. Guys, could you go ahead and make sure no one's waiting around a corner or something? I wouldn't put that past the 'Fredrick' guy, if you ask me."

"Of course," Eugene was quick to answer, a sly smile on his face. "Running interference is my specialty. Just point me to your kitchen, Anna."

"The… kitchen?" Anna asked, arching an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Something I gotta pick up, is all," Eugene replied cryptically, his smile never fading. "Can't walk into a waiting suitor trap unprepared."

"It's a long story," Rapunzel cut in. "Just humor him."

"Oooookay," Anna said, and the group set off for the kitchen on the way to Elsa's chambers. As soon as they got there, Eugene made a beeline for the frying pans and pulled the biggest one within reach off the wall. Testing its weight and balance in his hand, he nodded in approval.

"Yeah," he said, fastening it to a cord on his belt, "this'll do just fine."

They group set off again, with Kristoff only lagging behind long enough to shoot Anna a quizzical look. The princess shrugged, figuring that a heavy slab of wrought metal was just as good a weapon as any sword, in the hands of someone who knew what they were doing.

Fortunately, the rest of the trip back to Elsa's room happened without Eugene needing to introduce any would-be paramours to the business end of his frying pan, and the group split up to go their separate ways. Rapunzel and Eugene followed Kristoff's lead towards the room that had been prepared for them, and Anna lingered behind for a moment to kiss her sister goodnight before making her way down the hall and towards the room she shared with Kristoff.

Anna opened the door of her room and slowly made her way over to her bed, flopping down on it with a sigh and staring up at the ceiling.

Why couldn't all the suitors just take her hints and leave her alone? Running the affairs of Arendelle was hard enough by itself, to say nothing of trying to be in a relationship at the same time with someone who barely understood her. Half of her suitors were men she was only meeting for the first time that day, and the other half were only slightly more familiar. It reeked of politics just as much as it did of unfairness; Kristoff was right about that.

Why hadn't any of her would-be husbands at least tried to take some time to get to know _who_ she was, rather than just settling for _what_ she was?

A thought slammed into her, so blindingly obvious that Elsa almost sobered up immediately under its weight. She forced herself to sit up in bed, ignoring the slightly lurching feeling in her head as she did so. Looking around the room, she tried to find the familiar shape of a large, black-leather-covered book.

A book signed by one very particular person.

It took five solid minutes of turning her room inside-out to find it, but Elsa eventually found herself sitting on her bed, clutching the book in slightly-trembling hands. She opened the cover to the first page, and saw the name written there; faded to brown now, but still as visible as ever.

"Jack—"

Elsa hesitated, slowly closing her mouth and letting the rest of her breath out in a sigh before finishing his name. It had been six months since they'd last talked, plus a few days more. What if he hated her for it? What if he'd forgotten about her, or thought she'd forgotten about him? What if—

Elsa was pulled sharply out of her thoughts by the sound of a knock on her door.

"Anna?" she called out. "It should be open, just come in."

Another knock.

"Anna?"

A third knock.

Elsa put the book down and got to her feet, walking slowly to the door. She gripped the handle with one hand, readying a faint orb of ice in the other.

And then she opened the door, and her free hand fell slack to her side.

Jack was standing there, looking only slightly different than he had the last time they'd talked. It didn't seem like anything had changed, after all.

"Hey, Els…a…" Jack began, his blue eyes going wide and his voice trailing off as he got a good look at her. "I… wow." He blinked once and swallowed, but it did nothing to improve his composure. "Um… can I come in?"

"Please," Elsa said, stepping back and making room. "I didn't think you'd knock."

"Well, normally we don't wait six months between conversations," Jack replied. "I thought I'd go formal with it this time, just to be safe."

The two of them fell silent as they looked at each other, neither one quite sure where to begin.

"You look good," they both said in unison, pausing for a heartbeat before stifling laughs at the same time.

"Well," Jack said, "at least we're both still ridiculous. That's comforting."

Elsa sighed again, but it was happy this time, and free of fatigue.

"I missed you," she said. "I'm sorry it took so long to call you."

"Hey, ruling is busy stuff," Jack said. "I understand. Six months later is better than never again. I'm just sorry I couldn't be there for you when you awakened."

"When I did what?"

"Awakened," Jack repeated. "Matured into your powers. I figured it out when winter came to Arendelle in the middle of June, but you were already gone by the time I paid you a visit. If I'd been there for you, maybe I could have helped…"

Jack's fists had clenched by his side without him even realizing it, a tightly-controlled flurry of snow beginning to swirl around him. Elsa stepped forward, passing into the barrier and through it to draw Jack into an embrace.

"Calm down," she whispered, running a hand gently, comfortingly through his hair, as he'd done for her years ago. "Running away from Arendelle was my choice, Jack. Don't be hard on yourself because of it. There was nothing you could have done—I had to deal with those problems on my own."

The flurry gradually subsided, and the tension left Jack all at once as he reciprocated the embrace.

"I know," he whispered, "and I couldn't be more proud of you for doing what you did. I mean that."

"Thank you," Elsa said, her voice breaking slightly. They were the words she'd always wanted to hear, even if she hadn't known it until now. She took a step back from Jack and smiled, keeping her hands on his shoulders.

"Now, I might have solved those problems on my own," she said, humor coming back into her eyes and voice as the beginning of a coy smile danced on her lips, "but those problems have nothing to do with what I'm going through now. If you wanted to help me deal with _these_ problems, well…"

Her smile bloomed.

"I might let you tag along."

Jack smiled as well, and was caught completely off-guard when Elsa moved forward and kissed him full on the lips. He stumbled back a step before recovering his footing, but by then he'd already lost.

Elsa broke off the kiss what felt like a minute later, leaving Jack in a half-daze and struggling to catch his breath.

"Yes," he said at last, still flushed, while Elsa grinned at him again in pure amusement. "Tagging along would be good. Let's do that. More of that. I mean… I'll just shut up now," Jack finished, resigning himself to beaming like an idiot.

"I missed you, too," he said a few moments later, once he'd finally recovered. "See you in the morning, my Lady."

Jack bowed, never once taking his eyes off Elsa, before vanishing in a swirling cloud of white.

Elsa walked back over to her bed with light, happy steps, humming a short tune to herself as she fell back down onto it.

For the first time in a very, very long time, Elsa had dreams that made her smile.

* * *

Anna woke up with the dawn, rolling over slowly away from Kristoff to make sure she didn't wake him up as she got out of bed. He snored loudly and turned over to fill the now-empty space, bringing a smile to Anna's face as she stretched the stiffness out of her muscles. She washed up, changed into some simple clothes just thick enough to keep the occasional late-November gusts of wind at bay and made her way down to the royal family's small, private dining room, covering her mouth against a long yawn as she went.

When she reached the dining room, Anna found herself greeted by a sight she hadn't been expecting at all: Elsa was sitting at the large square table, digging into a plate of crisp rye toast topped with butter and jam, and a bowl of muesli on the side garnished with fresh fruit. There was a smile on her face that looked like it'd been permanently fixed there, and Anna could have sworn she heard her sister humming something under her breath.

"Good morning," she said as she sat down next to the Queen. "You certainly seem to be in a better mood, Elsa. Sleep well?"

"I did," Elsa answered, before taking a sip of tea from a large mug. "Did you?"

"Yeah," Anna said. "Anything else I should know about?"

"I figured out how to put this whole silly suitor question to rest," Elsa elaborated, taking another bite out of her toast with gusto. Anna smiled.

"That's great! What's the plan?"

Elsa gave her sister a cryptic, mischievous smile, the likes of which Anna hadn't seen since they'd been kids.

"You'll see tonight," she said. "For now, get something to eat! Can't entertain the crowds on an empty stomach, after all."

By the time Anna had sat down with a plate of food and begun to eat, Rapunzel and Eugene had made their way to the dining room and joined them.

"Now _this_ is much better," Eugene said, sighing. "It's like a zoo out in the main room. I had no idea Arendelle had so many domains."

"It's basically the same size as Corona," Rapunzel said. "Remember how many people crashed the castle to celebrate me coming back home?"

"Vaguely," Eugene said, smiling at the jumble of memories from that week, "but it's all a bit of a blur."

"Of course it is," Rapunzel replied, chuckling. "I'm surprised there was any beer left in the castle by the time you were done with it."

"To be fair," Eugene said, "I did have a lot of help."

"Good morning, you two," Elsa said, her smile still present. "Was your room all right?"

"Wonderful, thank you," Rapunzel answered. "By the way, we ran into Fredrick on the way down from our room. He wanted me to give you his best."

"Of course he did," Elsa said, sighing.

Anna was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the arrival of someone new that she'd never seen before. A young man had entered the room and busied himself clearing the table, dressed in plain gray clothes with a matching hood covering the top of his head. His skin was unusually pale, and his eyes were captivatingly blue.

"I'm sorry," Anna said, "I don't think we've met. You are?"

"Name's Jack, milady," he answered, pausing for a moment to flash Anna a quick smile before resuming his work. "I'm a new hire for the kitchen staff. Big parties like this need a lot of hands on deck, and all."

"Of course," Anna said. "Well, welcome! Hopefully you won't be quite so busy when this week is over and things settle back down again."

"No, I don't think I will be," Jack said, something in his voice that Anna couldn't quite place. "This is more of a temporary job for me."

He took his leave with a nod to Elsa, carrying the round of dishes back into the kitchens to be cleaned.

"Your Highness," the courier announced as he moved from the main dining room into the small one, "the representatives from Berk and Clan DunBroch have arrived at last. Shall I show them in?"

"Wonderful," Elsa said, finishing up her meal. "Have they eaten yet?"

"Yes, they have."

"Then please let them know I'll be out shortly. There's time for some walking around the castle grounds before supper, and it's a lovely day outside."

The courier nodded.

"Of course, my Queen."

"Walking some of this off sounds like a good idea," Anna said, patting her stomach. "I'm stuffed."

"And I want to hear all about what you've been up to for the past few months," Rapunzel told the sisters. "Re-opening the kingdom must've been quite the change."

"You could say that," Elsa said, getting to her feet once everyone had finished eating. "Let's go greet our other guests, shall we?"

"Lead the way."

"You go on without me," Anna said. "I'll catch up once I've gotten Kristoff out of bed. He puts the dead to shame when he sleeps, I swear."

"Good luck," Elsa called after her, before moving out into the main dining room. Most of the guests had retired to while away the hours between the morning meal and the evening one, so the royals' path to the other end of the room was clear.

And at the other end of the room, three particular guests were chatting with each other. One, a young woman with wild, unbound red hair, was gesticulating broadly and apparently reaching the climax of some story or joke. The other two guests, both clad in the strong, rugged leather garb of the Vikings of Berk, broke out into laughter.

"Oh, don't tell me you got started without us, Merida," Rapunzel said by way of greeting as the two groups finally met. "I hate missing out on a good story."

The red haired young woman laughed, drawing Rapunzel into a hug.

"It was an oldie, don't worry," Merida assured her. "Good t'see you again, Rapunzel. Been too long."

"Yeah, that'll happen when travelling to Corona by ship takes a week in good weather," Eugene said. "How'd you get here so fast?"

"Hitched a ride on Toothless," Merida explained, gesturing over to the two visitors from Berk. "Dragons're a _lot_ faster'n ships."

"That's putting it mildly," one of the two Vikings said, a young man with dark brown hair, an honest face and light green eyes. "I'm Hiccup, your Majesty," he introduced himself to Elsa, half-bowing. "My father is Stoick the Vast of Berk. He sends his regrets for not being able to make it himself. This," Hiccup continued, motioning to the tall, blond young woman at his side with sharp blue eyes, "is Astrid."

"Nice to meet you," Astrid said, smiling.

"So, you do really ride dragons, after all?" Elsa asked, impressed. "I've never seen one before."

"That's an easy fix," Hiccup said. "We left him out with the Trolls, so he'd have some room to run around without scaring everyone."

"Well, I was planning on a walk around the grounds to pass the afternoon," Elsa said, "but a ride out to see the Trolls would work nicely, too. We'll just need to wait for Anna to get back down here with Kristoff."

"No rush," Hiccup said, looking around at the high vaulted ceiling of the room. "This place is huge," he continued, his voice tinged with awe. "How many people live here?"

"When you count the workers and all the officials and dignitaries," Elsa said, doing some quick math in her head, "probably a hundred or so. But they're busy most of the time, so I don't see much of them."

Astrid whistled appreciatively at the scale of it.

"I feel like you could fit half of Berk in here if you needed to," she said. "You mainlanders don't hold back."

"Says the girl who built a separate house for her dragon," Merida teased, before turning to Elsa and smiling broadly. "I'm Merida," she introduced herself, holding out her hand, "Princess of Clan DunBroch."

Elsa held out her arm in kind and Merida gripped it halfway between her wrist and her elbow, shaking for a moment before letting it go.

"An honor," Elsa said. "I'm just sorry we didn't have a chance to do this sooner. It's clear to me now that there's a lot of this world I know far too little about."

"Well, no time like the present t'fix that, I'd say," Merida replied. "And now that Stoick's agreed to let us borrow some o' his Dragons, that ought to make travel down to the mainland much easier."

"That's great news," Rapunzel said, smiling. "I've always wanted to see the Northlands for myself."

"Make sure you bring some coats if you come up in the winter, though," Hiccup cautioned. "It gets pretty cold up there."

Elsa smiled.

"Nothing I couldn't handle, I'm sure," she said. "The cold doesn't exactly bother me."

Merida laughed.

"Yeah, the ice out front was a nice surprise," she said. "Did you really do that?"

Elsa held her hand out and flexed her fingers slightly, causing a few wisps of snow to float up above her palm. They swirled around for a few moments before Elsa relaxed her control, sending them floating away on the air.

"Wow," Merida breathed, her eyes wide. "Winter magic. That's amazing."

"Thank you," Elsa said, slightly embarrassed. "Not too many people used to think so around here, but they've gotten used to it."

Astrid shifted uncomfortably on her feet, and Elsa's eyes narrowed in concern.

"Is everything all right?"

"Oh, I'll be fine, don't worry," Astrid said. "I just feel weird without my axe, is all."

"Do Vikings normally carry around weapons at parties?" Rapunzel asked, and Hiccup laughed.

"It's not really a party in my village unless a few tables get broken," he said. "No one gets hurt, though. It's just how we blow off steam."

"I see," Elsa said, marveling once more at how little she knew, and how much she had to learn. She was very much looking forward to doing so.

"Hey, everyone," Anna's bright voice broke in, drawing the group's eyes over to where Anna and Kristoff were, headed towards them. "Sorry that took so long. What're we doing?"

"Going for a ride out to see the Trolls," Rapunzel explained. "Hiccup here left his Dragon with them, and Elsa wants to go see it."

"A Dragon?" Anna repeated, her eyes going wide. "A real live one?"

"Yup."

"Then what're we waiting for?" Anna half-shouted, smiling excitedly. "Let's go!"

"Sure," Elsa said, her sister's smile infectious. "I'll introduce you to our guests on the way."

"Oh man," Anna said to Kristoff as the group made their way out of the castle, "this is so cool! I've always wanted to see a Dragon!"

* * *

As it turned out, so did everyone else. Between the trolls—who seemed to be in heaven, fawning over not one, but _two_ couples—and Toothless being his usual playful self, the atmosphere out in the bog was so light that Elsa was surprised flowers didn't start spontaneously blooming.

"Oh, I'm so glad you had the time to come out and pay us a visit, your Majesty," one of the trolls told Elsa, his voice enthusiastic. "And that it's under happier circumstances than your last trip."

"That's something we can both be glad about," the Queen said, cringing behind her smile as she remembered Anna being healed from the effects of her magic. "And I'm happy to see you're all doing well."

"Kristoff doesn't come around quite so much as he used to," the troll said, looking over at where he and Anna were marveling at a gout of blue flame Toothless had just sent up into the sky. "But there's nothing wrong with that, either. About time he found someone who could keep up with him."

Elsa laughed.

"I'd say he's the one who has trouble keeping up with Anna," she said, "but I guess that's true for most people my sister knows."

"And how about you, your Majesty?" the troll asked, looking up at Elsa with a sly smile on his face. "Have any luck with the crowd in town for the week?"

"Not at all," Elsa said, "but I'm working on it."

"That's the spirit," the troll replied. "We're all rooting for you!"

Elsa smiled and nodded in thanks, before looking over at the group and seeing Merida howling with glee as Toothless used his head to toss her high into the air and catch her again. The Queen turned and headed for a more secluded area of the bog, hoping that some quiet would help her sort out the rest of her plan for the evening's festivities.

Elsa had only been walking for a minute or so, however, when something strange happened. Stepping through the gap between a pair of large trees, she noticed that the air around her shimmered and warped for a heartbeat, bending around her like a solid object before settling back down. Before she could wonder for too long at what could possibly have caused such an oddity, the sound of harsh conversation reached her ears.

And both of the voices were very familiar, indeed.

"I don't understand what your problem is with me, old man."

"If you can't even see what I recognize as plain as day, then this whole conversation is pointless."

Elsa pressed herself against a different tree trunk and peered around the corner, seeing Grand Pabbie the Troll King and Jack engaged in what looked like a pretty intense discussion. And judging by Jack's posture and the circle of solid ice that had formed over the grass he was standing on, Jack was not happy at all.

"So you're just gonna judge me because of what I am?" Jack asked. "I'm the only one left!"

"Precisely because your people's legacy was one of strife, sorrow, and conquest," the Troll King said, his voice as low and powerful as Elsa had ever heard it. "Your powers are accursed, Ice Mage. Nothing you can do will ever change that."

"Elsa seemed to do pretty well for herself," Jack snapped back. "What makes me any different?"

"You have no shred of humanity in you," the Troll King said, his voice as level as ever. "Elsa had her sister, and her friends to help keep her powers under control. What do you have to help you do the same?"

"Me," Elsa broke in at last, tired of seeing Jack get dragged through the mud by the Troll King. "He has me."

Both Jack and the Troll King turned at once to face the unexpected Queen, wearing twin expressions of surprise and confusion. In the end, Jack spoke first.

"Elsa? What're you—how did you find us?"

"I got lucky," she said, before turning to face the Troll King. "Leave him alone, Grand Pabbie."

"I'm afraid I'll need a bit more convincing than that," he replied, standing firm. "Even you can't deny that a pure Ice Mage like him has the potential for immense destruction."

"Potential is just that," Elsa said, "and nothing more. But if you want something more convincing, then trust me to keep him in line."

The Troll King arched an eyebrow.

"You really believe yourself strong enough to best him?"

"Of course," Elsa said, her dark blue eyes unblinking as she stared Grand Pabbie down. "I know Jack would never do anything to hurt me."

"And if you happen to be wrong? What then?"

"I won't be," Elsa insisted. "I've known Jack for seven years. If something bad was going to happen, it would have already come and gone. I think he's a good person, and one of the best I've ever met. Is that good enough for you?"

The Troll King was silent for a few long moments, looking back and forth between the pair with a meaningful gaze. Then he sighed, shook his head, and turned away.

"If this is what you want," he said as he walked towards the far edge of the small clearing, "then I can't stop you. I only hope that you don't live to regret it, Elsa."

The bubble surrounding them shimmered and faded, but it was only once they were sure Grand Pabbie was gone that Elsa and Jack dared look at each other. Jack's face was a jumbled mess of anger, surprise, happiness and something Elsa couldn't quite recognize, but it all melted away when he smiled at her, gratitude showing clearly in his bright blue eyes.

"Thank you," he said humbly as Elsa walked over to him, the edges of his voice trembling slightly. "Those things you said… did you really mean them?"

"What kind of silly question is that?" Elsa replied. "Of course I did. You're not some kind of monster, Jack. No more than I am, at least."

"And you're definitely _not_ a monster," Jack said, smiling again as he put a hand gently on her shoulder. "A monster wouldn't have stood up for me like that."

Elsa laughed softly, reaching up and pulling the hood down from Jack's head.

"After all the times you've been there for me?" she said, trailing her fingers from his chin up along his cheek as she spoke. "The least I could do was be there for you, Jack."

Jack took Elsa's hand in his own, placing a kiss against her palm.

"Thank you," he repeated. "I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"You mean what's it like to not feel alone anymore?" Elsa asked, smiling. "I think I have a pretty good idea, actually."

Jack chuckled, but the sound was quickly swallowed up by Elsa leaning in for a kiss. Jack let himself give into it, only to be surprised when Elsa's tongue darted teasingly into his mouth and back out again. He shivered, unable to fully suppress a muted groan. The Queen smiled against his lips before leaning back, looking particularly pleased with herself.

"How long do you think we have?" Jack asked, hoping he didn't sound too breathless.

"At least another ten minutes, probably," Elsa replied. "Why?"

"Good," Jack said, his smile sending a small shiver down Elsa's back. "My turn."

Before the Queen could so much as blink, the ground under her feet had turned to ice. She lost her footing and began to fall backwards, only to be caught by a strong, lean arm wrapping around her waist. Jack stopped Elsa's half-yelp of surprise with another kiss, and Elsa reached up to twine her fingers through Jack's hair, holding on to the back of his head and balancing out their embrace.

As the pair enjoyed the moment, blissfully unaware of the world around them, a figure moved back behind the tall tree she'd been peeking around. She took a few slow steps away from the clearing, careful to keep her mouth shut and contain the scream of glee she was desperately trying to hold in until she'd made her way back to where the rest of the group was still hanging out with the trolls.

Kristoff heard the sound and turned toward Anna, confused by the ecstatic look on her face.

"What's up?" he asked. "Did something happen?"

"You could say that," Anna answered, her blue eyes wide and full of happiness and mischief. "Oh man," she continued, rubbing her hands together conspiratorially,

"I'm going to have _fun_ tonight."


	3. Decisions

**Kindred Spirits**

**Chapter 3: Decisions**

* * *

Anna had never been quite as good at hiding things as she thought, and especially not from her older sister. Elsa knew from the moment she rejoined the group to leave the troll's bog that she'd been found out. To her sister's credit, though, Anna had at least been able to wait until they were back at the castle and alone before showing her hand.

"So," Anna asked as the two sisters were sitting in Elsa's room enjoying a quiet moment and a warm pot of tea, "what's he like?"

"What's who like?" Elsa asked back, keeping up appearances a bit longer to let Anna have her moment.

"You know who," Anna said, leaning forward with a gleam in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Jack. I saw the conversation you had with Pabbie out in the troll's bog." She paused, her smile widening. "And I might have also maybe seen what happened… after that."

"You got me," Elsa said, smiling as she finished a sip and put down her mug. "I guess I found myself a boyfriend. Guilty as charged."

"And…?" Anna prodded, not giving up so easily. "You still haven't answered my question. What's he like, this 'Jack' guy?"

"Well, let's see," Elsa began, smiling. "He's funny, understanding, and compassionate. He has powers like mine, but probably even stronger. But he's also lonely, too," she continued, her voice dropping a bit as she frowned. "That's another thing we had in common for a while."

"You said you knew him back when we were kids," Anna said, trying to shift the topic a bit. "How did he meet you without anyone else in the castle noticing?"

"There was a book father found in the library all those years ago," Elsa answered. "It was a history of Jack's people, the Ice Mages. And we're descended from them, believe it or not. So when I read from the book, Jack was able to find me."

"Wow," Anna said, putting her chin on her hands and leaning forward in her chair. "So you had these conversations in secret for this long? That's pretty romantic."

"And also necessary," Elsa said. "If Jack had been found out… well, they'd have probably thought he was more dangerous than me. But they didn't, thankfully," she quickly continued, her tone brightening, "so that's nothing to worry about. Okay, now I get to ask: how are things with you and Kristoff going?"

"Just great," Anna said, leaning back in her chair again with a contented sigh and a wide smile. "He and Sven take me on their ice carving expeditions sometimes, and I'm finally getting the hang of mountain-climbing. It's amazing! I'll have to bring you and Jack along for one of the rides, the next time we go up to Bear's Peak. The view from the top is just breathtaking."

"I bet," Elsa said, taking another sip of tea. "Have you two thought about a date yet?"

"A date?" Anna echoed, her brows furrowing in puzzlement. "For what?"

Elsa gave her sister a look, smirking.

"You know what I mean," she said. "Please tell me he's at least asked you the question."

"Oh," Anna said, her face going slightly red as she realized where her sister was headed. "Oh! I see. Well, actually," she continued, taking a sip of tea to cover up her nervousness, "not exactly, no. He didn't."

"Really?" Elsa asked, genuinely surprised. "I would have thought—"

"No, no, it's nothing bad," Anna cut her off, waving her hands. "I asked him, he didn't ask me."

"Oh. And?" Elsa pressed, leaning forward. "What did he say?"

"Well, 'yes', of course," Anna answered with a grin, "but that was only after he'd spent three minutes stammering, blushing, and trying not to fall over. It was adorable. But no, we're still trying to figure out a date. Maybe when you and Jack pick one," she finished, her grin turning sly, "we can just make it a double."

"We haven't— we're not—" Elsa said quickly, only to be laughed down by her sister.

"Oh come on, Elsa," Anna said. "After that show the two of you put on in the bog, and what you just told me now, you might as well be wearing a ring already. Don't think you can pull a fast one over on me."

"Well, he _does_ get to have a say in it, too," Elsa said, drawing an indelicate snort of laughter from her sister.

"Oh, please. I've seen puppies who looked less devoted. He isn't going anywhere, trust me."

Elsa smiled.

"Look at you, turning into a love expert on me," she said. "Okay, then help me out with something."

"Sure."

"If you had to figure out a way to deal with the crowd of suitors I have nipping at my heels, how would you do it?"

"Hmmmm…" Anna mused, absently scratching her chin as she looked up at the far wall, lost in thought. "I think I'd just tell them the truth," she said. "Tell 'em how you really feel. My guess is, some of them only want you so they can have political power, like Hans did. For them, a promise of royal support should do the same thing for their families, but with less work for them.

"For the people who just want to marry you because they think you're beautiful, ask them if they'll feel that way thirty years from now. Not that I don't think you won't still be gorgeous," Anna was quick to add, "but it should do the trick. And if some of the others think they love you, just remind them that it's impossible to love someone, really, when you've said twenty words to them, at most.

"By the time that's done with," Anna finished with a flourish and a grin, "there should only be one person left."

Elsa sat back and looked at her sister in quiet appreciation, marveling at how capably she'd managed to deconstruct the situation.

"You really have grown up," she said at last. "I'm so proud of you, Anna."

"Thanks, Elsa," she said, smiling softly in pride.

The two sisters finished their tea in companionable silence, until they were interrupted by the courier.

"Beg your pardon, my Ladies," he said, "but dinner is served. Your guests await you at the main table in the Great Hall."

"Thank you very much," Elsa said politely, nodding and rising to her feet. "Please let them know we will be joining them presently."

"Of course, your Majesty," the courier said, bowing once and leaving the room.

"About time," Anna said as they walked arm-in-arm out of Elsa's room. "I'm starving!"

* * *

"Okay," Merida said after she'd finished taking another long pull from her wine goblet, "what the heck _is_ this stuff? I gotta bring it back up wi'me when I go back 'ome."

"It's called 'mulled wine'," Elsa explained, trying to hide her amusement at Merida's current state and not quite succeeding. "Wine, warmed and spiced. It's a staple here in the wintertime."

"What's wrong, Merida?" Hiccup asked teasingly from his seat a few places down the table. "Slipping up already? Your dad was the only person I've ever seen go round-for-round with my old man—what would Clan DunBroch think of you now?"

"Ah, stuff it, Hiccup," Merida said, waving dismissively in his direction as she took another gulp. "I'm far from finished."

"Just don't hurt yourself over there," Eugene chimed in. "Pacing is a virtue. That's my secret weapon."

"Nah; none for me, thanks," Astrid said as Kristoff held out the jug, waving in polite decline. "I like to stay sharp. Alcohol makes me fuzzy, and I've never gotten used to it."

"Fair," Kristoff said, pouring himself another half-goblet full. "It's an acquired skill."

"I still can't get over how cool Toothless is, Hiccup," Anna said, in between bites of pork-chop. "Really makes me want a Dragon."

"Actually," Hiccup said, cutting into a piece of roast beef, "that's an idea we've been kicking around in Berk for a while now. We figure, if more people could use Dragons for transportation, it would make travelling around between all our various Kingdoms a lot easier."

"So, what's the hold-up?" Eugene asked, only to have Rapunzel chime in with the answer.

"Turning them into weapons, if I had to guess," she said. "We don't have much that could stand up to them in a fight."

"Exactly," Astrid said, sighing. "We could always make treaties and stuff like that, but it's still a risk."

"I don't really think so," Elsa weighed in. "The lands have been at peace for generations. No one really remembers what a war like that would be, outside of the storybooks. But they do know it would be awful, and why would they risk that when they could just keep living comfortably?"

"I agree," Hiccup answered. "I'm just working on convincing my father. But as soon as I do, it should make meetings like this a lot easier to pull off."

"That sounds like a worthy goal t'me," Merida said, smiling. "This is the most fun I've had in ages. Thank ye very much for havin' us, your Majesty," she said with a nod to Elsa, who smiled.

"Please, just call me Elsa," she said. "It still feels strange being formal all the time, and especially around friends."

"Works for me!" Merida said, continuing to dig into her food with delighted vigor. "This stuff is delicious! Remind me to just grab every recipe out of your kitchen tha' I can carry 'fore I leave."

"We'll make sure of it," Anna said. "But there's still a few days yet before Elsa's birthday, and you're all certainly more than welcome to stay until then."

"That would be lovely, thank you," Astrid said. "A vacation's just what I need right now. Training rookies to fly dragons without losing a limb is exhausting."

"But certainly better than the alternative, I'm sure," Eugene said as he took a sip from his goblet. "And I bet the rookies are grateful for your help."

"Yeah, they are," Astrid allowed, "but they're going to give me gray hair by the time I'm 25."

"Hey, nothing wrong with lighter shades of hair," a new voice joined in, as Jack came over to clear up some of the empty plates at the table. His hood was down, revealing his snow-white hair. A small smile ghosted across his face as he took one of Elsa's plates, a gesture that was not lost on Anna. A strategic use of her napkin to daintily wipe the corner of her mouth hid her smile, but only just.

"Sorry, I don't think we've met," Astrid said. "What's your name?"

"Jack," he answered, nodding in greeting. "Jack Frost."

"Nice to meet you," Astrid said, before looking at Jack curiously. "Is that a clan name?"

"Sure is," Jack said as he finished picking up the last of the empty dishes. "Kind of obvious, but I like it."

Jack surreptitiously passed his hand over Eugene's goblet as he walked by, lingering for a moment at the end of the table. There was a smile on his face that only Elsa could see, and a few seconds later the reason for it became clear.

The next time Eugene lifted his goblet for a sip, he was greeted by a solid chunk of frozen wine hitting him full in the face. After he'd finished sputtering and the rest of the table had finished laughing, Eugene shot a suspicious glance at Jack.

"Did you…?" he asked, only to be met with a shrug.

"Not sure what you mean, Sir," Jack replied, before taking the dirty dishes away with him. "Your Majesty," he said in parting with a nod to Elsa, who returned the gesture before motioning to Eugene.

"Let me see that," she said, taking the goblet and thawing out the wine within. "There you go, good as new."

"Except now it's room temperature," Eugene pouted theatrically, only to have Rapunzel switch their goblets and refill the partially empty glass with fresh, warm wine.

"That better, sweetheart?" Rapunzel asked him teasingly, ruffling his hair and sending another ripple of laughter through the table.

"Much better, thank you," Eugene said, smiling as he kept on drinking and finishing his main course. "Mmmm, so good."

"I'm honored you think so," Elsa said, before folding her napkin and placing it on the table. "Please excuse me for a moment."

It was a short walk from their end of the dining room to the kitchen, but even so Elsa was surprised by the feeling of a hand on her shoulder as she passed by a conveniently-placed pillar. She was behind it a second later, staring full into a pair of bright blue eyes that were mirrors to her own.

"That wasn't very nice, you know," she told Jack, who responded by leaning in and whispering.

"Sorry," he said, in a tone that conveyed very little of an apology. "I just couldn't resist. Anything I can do to make up for it?"

"Not now," she answered. "And besides, I'm not the one you owe an apology to."

"Maybe not," Jack admitted, his fingers idly lifting one of Elsa's stray bangs before letting it drop again, "but paying debts to you is so much more fun."

His fingers trailed down and left a small, thin streak of ice along the bottom of Elsa's neck and the edge of her collarbone. It had evaporated a few heartbeats later, but not before sending a pleasant shiver spreading through the Queen. She bit back a groan, but just barely.

"You bastard," she half-hissed. "You're paying for that later."

"Like I said," Jack replied, smiling mischievously, "looking forward to it, my Lady."

He gave a mock half-bow and retreated into the shadows, leaving Elsa to catch her breath and compose herself.

When she returned to the table and sat back down, Anna was quick to offer her a fresh goblet of wine.

"Here," she said, handing it to her sister. "That should help," she added under her breath, giving Elsa a private smile.

The Queen absolutely could not _wait_ for this meal to be over.

* * *

By the time dinner and dessert finally came to a close, Elsa felt more like going to sleep than giving a speech to a room full of entitled and expectant suitors. Still, decorum had demands that someone in her position was constricted to meet.

Waiting until the rest of the people at her table had retired for the night except for Anna and Kristoff, Elsa had them make the rounds and inform the various suitors that the Queen wished to see them in the adjoining room. That done, she left her table and made the trip there herself. In spite of Anna's earlier advice, Elsa still felt nerves making her stomach do backflips.

Fortunately, when she entered the next room the Queen saw she wasn't alone.

"Don't worry about it," Jack assured her, the earlier teasing gleam in his eyes replaced by purely warm support. "You'll do great."

"You think so?"

He smiled, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I know so. And I'll be watching from the back," Jack added, "so at least one person in the room will be giving you a round of applause when it's done."

Elsa laughed, feeling some of her tension melt away.

"That's something, I guess."

She stood at the front of the room and waited as the suitors entered, one by one. Some were her age, some older, some younger by a year but already considered men. Elsa knew the names of less than one-quarter of their number, and of that quarter she'd spoken to perhaps half of them. And of that half, half again of them Elsa had said fewer than twenty words to.

She felt like she was standing in a room full of strangers, all of whom thought that hearsay, gossip and conjecture was enough to paint an accurate picture of someone. Elsa wondered if most of them even wanted to be there at all. Taking a deep breath, she began.

"First of all," she said, "thank you very much for joining me to celebrate my birthday, or at least an extended version of it. I appreciate your taking the time to travel as far as the castle to introduce yourselves to me.

"However, as I'm sure you all know, it would be impossible for me to marry all of you at the same time," Elsa continued, relieved at the slight ripple of laughter that made its way through the crowd. That was a good sign. "So I'd like to start by asking you a series of questions.

"First, is there anyone here who left someone they love behind in their home provinces or towns in order to have a chance at winning my hand? And please, feel at ease to answer honestly. I won't judge you for it."

There were a few beats of hesitation, but in the end roughly a third of the crowd nodded their heads in admittance.

"Please, go home to them," Elsa said. "They know you and care for you far more than I ever could… and I couldn't live with the knowledge that someone else's heart was being broken for the sake of politics. If some desperate circumstances drove you to seek my favor to this extent, please let my stewards know. I will see to it that they are remedied as soon as possible. You have my word on that, I promise."

A palpable wave of relief spread through the suitors in question, and they filed out of the room a few moments later. Elsa used the pause to catch her breath, before turning to the remaining suitors.

"For those of you who are just trying to marry me for political gain," she said, "I won't judge you for that, either. But you must understand that the crown is a heavy burden to bear, and being King is about more than just a title. The amount of work that goes into maintaining this Kingdom is staggering. I was only able to accomplish it with the help of several wise advisors, most of whom served under my father.

"I strongly doubt this marriage would lead to the fantasy of power I assume several of you hold in your hearts to be an inevitable truth. I suggest you return to your own principalities, dukedoms, fiefdoms and holds and see to their governance, rather than burdening yourselves with the weight of an entire kingdom."

Several of the suitors paused for a collective thought all at once, as if the starkly pragmatic vision of kingship had never occurred to them before. Some of them sighed in resignation and retreated from the room, and soon enough others followed behind them. Elsa envied them their comfortable lives back home in their own territories that must have given them such a skewed idea of what it meant to rule, but in the end all it proved was how unfit they were to be king. They would never command the love of the people like her father had, especially not if they only thought of themselves.

In the end, only Fredrick was left, obstinately standing his ground in the face of all reason. Elsa took one more breath, preparing herself for the final conversation before this night would be over at last.

"And why are you here, Prince Fredrick?" she asked. "If not out of obligation, nor the hope of political gain, why?"

"Because it is my right," Fredrick said, his voice bordering on imperious. "I have proven myself in every way imaginable. I have the support of everyone in my dukedom, and half the nobles of Arendelle proper. They see me as a right, just, proper choice for King. I can think of no reason why anyone would blindly refuse what I know to be so perfectly obvious a conclusion."

After a few moments of heavy silence, Elsa spoke again.

"I see," she said. "You have said an awful lot about yourself, Prince Fredrick, and what you want. But have you given any thought as to my own wants? My wishes, my desires?"

Fredrick looked at Elsa like she'd just grown horns.

"What? No. Of course not," he said. "Our personal wants and needs are nothing before the needs of the kingdom. Your feelings on the match are immaterial. All that matters in the discussion at hand is my fitness for the position of King, which I believe I have amply proven."

"And if I told you," Elsa said slowly, "that I had already given my heart to another, and you would have me forced into a loveless marriage for the rest of my life, what would you say? Would you watch me wither away, suffering in silence, and do nothing?"

"Of course," Fredrick said, without a moment's hesitation.

"Then you would be no just King," Elsa replied firmly, her eyes unyielding. "If you would let me suffer for the sake of your kingship, how do I know you wouldn't let others suffer in the same way? Or other towns? Dukedoms? Your blood runs cold, Prince Fredrick. It is no King's blood."

Fredrick's gaze turned stony, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"Then your blood is no Queen's, your Majesty," he ground out, before leaving and turning without so much as a farewell.

Elsa waited as long as she could before crumpling with a sigh, Fredrick's parting words hurting her deeper than she would ever admit to anyone. There was a tear on her cheek she didn't even feel, but it was quickly brushed aside by a warm thumb. Jack held her to him, gently running one of his hands up and down Elsa's back.

"It's okay," Jack whispered. "He's gone, that jackass. He's lucky I didn't freeze his head and use it as an oversized snowball."

Elsa laughed, sighing again as she sank into the embrace.

"What would I do without you, Jack?"

"Hey," he said, "that's my line. But honestly, I don't want to even think about that. Can we do something more fun, instead?"

The Queen smiled against his shoulder.

"Sure. I'd like that."

"Okay. Just relax. This might feel… weird."

Elsa exhaled, and a heartbeat later she felt the world twist and warp around her. The sensation lasted no more than a few seconds, and then it was gone as if it had never been. She opened her eyes, and was surprised to find herself in her room.

"How did you…?"

"Just adjusted my magic to fit for two," Jack said. "Wasn't too hard. I'll show you sometime."

"Please do," Elsa said. "Ever since I met you, I felt like there was so much I didn't know about my powers, about myself. And even now, with everything that I've done… you're still running circles around me."

"Hey, this isn't a competition," Jack said, leaning back and looking Elsa in the eyes. "Besides, I got a huge head-start on you. Hardly fair. But anyway," he continued, taking a few steps back and smiling, "I didn't bring you here to talk business. What would you say to a dance, my Lady?"

Elsa smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Jack," she said, "you know I can't dance."

"Sure you can!" he insisted, taking her hands in his and pulling her close, before moving one of his hands to the small of Elsa's back. "This is a simple step. Just follow my lead."

Jack moved to the right, and Elsa followed instinctively. Then he shifted back, pulling her toward him. A slide to the left followed, and then a step forward as Elsa stepped back to complete the movement.

"See?" Jack said. "Simple."

They repeated the cycle again and again, and soon enough the pair were sliding with ease along the floor and turning into each other's steps, laughing the whole way through it. When Jack figured Elsa was comfortable enough, he froze the floor underneath their feet and led her in a series of slides and spinning turns around the whole length of the room. By the time they were done, the two of them were catching their breath in between bursts of exhilarated laughter.

"That… that was _fun_!" Elsa exclaimed, sitting down on her bed with a sigh. "We need to do that more often, Jack."

"Yup," he said, sitting down next to Elsa for a moment before collapsing onto his back and staring up at the ceiling. "Told'ya you could do it, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Elsa said, before leaning over and reaching down. "Move over a bit, would you?"

Too tired to budge, Jack just let Elsa move him until he was lying with his head on her pillow. Satisfied, Elsa laid down next to him and looked into Jack's eyes, a smile on her face.

"Thank you," she said. "I needed that. And… for earlier, too. Thank you for being there for me."

"Don't mention it," Jack said, his eyes slipping out of focus as he drifted off to sleep, a smile on his face. "Your sister isn't the only person around here who loves you, y'know."

By the time Elsa had unpacked the meaning behind those words, Jack was already asleep. Smiling, Elsa kissed his forehead and draped her arms over Jack's sleeping form, finding comfort in the warmth next to her.

"I know," she said, before letting sleep carry her off into the night.

* * *

Jack woke up slowly, the sun barely illuminating the sleeping face across from him. He reached over and moved a few strands of hair away from Elsa's face, causing her to stir slightly in her sleep. Jack smiled at the sight, wondering how he'd managed to get so lucky as to wind up here.

"Good morning," Elsa mumbled a moment later, slowly opening her eyes and blinking the sleep away from them. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great," Jack said. "You?"

"Mmmmhmm," Elsa answered, before pulling Jack closer to her, close enough to rest her forehead against his. "I could get used to this."

"You and me both," Jack said, moving his head back just enough to kiss Elsa on the cheek. "I'm so happy I met you," he continued, his voice turning thoughtful. "Thanks for not freaking out when we first met."

"You're welcome," Elsa said, smiling. "Thanks for being my friend. I'm just sorry I didn't take the book with me when I ran away. You must've been worried sick."

"I knew you could do it," Jack said, reaching up and brushing the back of his hand against her cheek. "And that was a journey you had to take on your own, anyway. All Ice Mages used to have to go through that alone. I did, too."

"Still," Elsa said, taking Jack's hand into her own, "it would have been nice to have you around."

"Well, let's make a deal then," Jack replied. "I promise I'll never leave you again, if you can make the same promise to me."

"I think I can manage that," the Queen said, squeezing Jack's hand to seal the vow. "It's a deal, then."

They kissed again, letting the moment linger before breaking apart. The others would be getting up soon, and there would be some explaining to do. The couple rose, stretching the stiffness out of their muscles and looking out the window towards the dawn. They leaned against the windowsill, sharing the moment in contented silence as the sun illuminated the brilliant red and yellow leaves on the trees that heralded the end of fall and the arrival of winter. Each of them tried to rest their head on the other's shoulder at the same time, resulting in a meeting halfway and a short burst of laughter as they settled on just standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

A few moments later, Elsa and Jack stepped away from each other and turned, pausing for a moment before beginning to move forward towards each other—

Only to be interrupted by the sound of the door to Elsa's room opening with a _creak_.

"Hey, Elsa," Anna's voice broke in, "breakfast is—oh. Ummm… hmm. Sorry. I'll… give you two a minute. Or better yet, just come down whenever you want to. Yeah. That's better. Take your time."

"We'll be right down, Anna," Elsa said, giving her sister a warm smile. "Thank you for letting us know."

"Any time," Anna said, taking a step back and closing the door. Shortly before it closed all the way, though, she grinned and gave Elsa a thumbs-up through the gap in the doorway.

"Well," Jack said after the door was closed, "at least it looks like your sister's fine with having me around."

"She trusts me," Elsa said, "and I trust you. And she likes you. Don't worry about it, Jack. You'll fit in just fine."

He grinned, the brightness in his eyes unchanged from when he'd applauded Elsa's book reading all those years ago.

"It'll be nice," he said, "having a home again."

Elsa smiled.

"I know exactly what you mean."

They each took a half-step forward and kissed, finally letting go of their burdens and trusting their partner to help them carry the weight.

It would be a long, tough journey to bring Arendelle back to its former prosperity, but Elsa and Jack knew it was one they could make together.

* * *

...

...

**A/N:** So yeah, The End! I love this ship to pieces (thanks to Masayume85 for introducing me to the awesomeness), so I hope I did them justice, and that you enjoyed reading this story. This was my first foray into this particular crossover, and it was a ton of fun to write... so hopefully it was just as much fun to read!

All the best, and thanks for reading all the way through!

**- Jazz**


	4. Epilogue: The Birthday Present

**Kindred Spirits**

**Epilogue: The Birthday Present**

* * *

There was a light knock on the door, and Anna looked up from the book she was reading.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," came the answer, and Anna was surprised to recognize Jack's voice instead of Kristoff's.

"Come on in," she said, and the door opened to reveal Jack Frost standing there, looking unusually preoccupied.

A few moments of awkward silence passed between them, until Jack finally cleared his throat and spoke.

"Do you have a minute?"

"I have more than one, actually," Anna answered with a smile, hoping to put Jack at ease. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, Elsa's birthday is tomorrow."

"Yes."

"And I've gotten her something."

"Okay…" Anna said, arching a suspicious eyebrow. "So what's gotten you all worked up?"

Jack hesitated for a few more moments, and then finally gave up.

"It's a ring," he said, holding out a small jewel box.

It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did Anna's eyes went wide and her mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"Oh," she said at last, when she'd gotten over her shock. "Oh, wow. Can… can I see it?"

Jack nodded, popping the lid open with his index finger. A ring was resting on a small pillow of velvet, a band of transparent, silvery ice featuring a single gem set into it. Or at least, it looked like a gem at first. Upon closer inspection, the 'gem' was revealed to be an impossibly clear, gleaming, intricately-carved piece of ice.

"Ooooo," Anna breathed out, her eyes wide all over again. "It's gorgeous. Did you make it yourself, Jack?"

"Yeah," he answered, looking suddenly nervous. "You sure it looks good?"

"Of course!" Anna assured him, smiling wide. "So, this'll make it official, then?"

"Well, if she says 'yes'," Jack said, and Anna shook her head.

"You don't have to worry about that," she said. "Trust me."

"I know," Jack replied, "but I can't help it. This is big. Like, really, _really_ big."

"Yeah, I know," Anna echoed, holding up her right hand and proudly displaying the ring on her ring finger. "I've been through it. But what's she gonna do, say 'no'? After all this? Not a chance."

"Maybe," Jack said, closing the box with a soft _click_, "but I still need to figure out how to give her the thing. How did you and Kristoff do it?"

Anna paused for a moment, remembering, before she just shrugged.

"I guess I just… asked him," she said. "After you've been through a couple of near-death experiences together, it gets a lot harder to make a big deal out of something. So I just waited until after we'd finished climbing this one mountain, Bear's Peak, and then I asked him while we were watching the sunrise."

Jack paused, unsure how to respond.

"Wait a minute," he said at last. "You proposed to him on top of a mountain you'd just climbed, watching the sunrise, and that's 'not a big deal' for you?"

"Well, it is kind of relative, I suppose. We climb mountains all the time. But hey," Anna added, "if you want a second opinion, why not just go ask Eugene? I'm sure he'd have some tips for you."

Jack slipped the ring back into his pocket and nodded his thanks.

"I'll see if I can find him," he said. "And please," Jack added seriously, "don't tell anyone about this."

"Of course not," Anna replied, looking almost taken aback by the question. "Your secret's safe with me, Jack."

Jack nodded one more time before turning and walking out of the room, leaving Anna standing there as her smile turned into a grin.

* * *

It took Jack a few minutes' worth of searching before he found Eugene, who was sitting in a small common room chatting with Olaf, Elsa's sentient snowman.

"Wait," Olaf said, "you really got into a swordfight with a _horse_? I mean, how does that even work?"

"Strangely, my friend," Eugene said, shaking his head slightly at the memory. "Very strangely. But Max helped me out of a really tight spot a while after that, and now we get along great. But there really isn't any swordfight quite like a swordfight against a horse… while using a frying pan."

"That sounds like a crazy time," Olaf said. "The best I've got is saving Anna from getting her heart frozen solid and dying," he finished, his voice deadpan.

"Hey, that's still a big deal," Eugene said. "Reminds me of the time I got stabbed by an evil witch trying to save Rapunzel from being kidnapped forever. Close thing; almost killed me. But Rapunzel saved my life, so it worked out fine in the end."

"Man," Jack broke in at last, walking over to the table, "what is it with you guys and near-death experiences?"

"Occupational hazard when you hang around important people, I guess," Eugene answered, shrugging like the topic of conversation was perfectly normal. "What's up, Jack?"

Jack and Elsa had been quick to explain to the various important guests for the week what had happened between them after the night Elsa had dismissed all the other suitors, and Jack had become a common sight in the castle outside of the kitchens. He still felt a little out of place around 'normal' humans, but it was a work in progress.

"I need your advice with something," Jack said, taking a seat at the table. "I made something for Elsa, for her birthday tomorrow. I just need to figure out how to give it to her. I tried asking Anna, but her advice was a little… particular," Jack finished.

"Sure thing," Eugene said, smiling. "This sort of stuff is my expertise. What's the gift?"

"This," Jack said, pulling out the ring and popping the box open.

"Pretty," Olaf said, admiring the craftsmanship. "Did you make that yourself?"

"Yup."

"You work fast, kid," Eugene said. "I like your style."

"I've known Elsa since we were kids."

"That's the kind of compliment you just take and move on, Jack."

"Okay…?" Jack said, beginning to wonder what he'd gotten himself in to.

"Right, so," Eugene pressed on, undaunted. "This is a big deal."

"Yeah, Anna mentioned that."

"You don't want to make too big a deal out of it," Eugene said, "but if you make too small a thing of it, it might go horribly wrong. Like, terribly horribly. You'd never live it down, even if she said yes."

"You sound like you have a lot of experience with that, Eugene."

"What? No. No, I don't. I just know people, y'know? These things go around."

"Okay…"

"So, you want to make it a quiet thing. Romantic, and all that good stuff. Unless you want to surprise her out in public with a crowd watching. I've heard that also works well. Depends on the girl."

"I don't think Elsa does crowds."

"Right, so that's obvious," Eugene said. "Small's the way to go. Maybe do it at the end of dinner?"

"But then what if she's got indigestion?" Olaf broke in. "That wouldn't go over well."

"Good point," Eugene said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Tricky."

"Could you just tell me how you did it?" Jack asked, trying not to sound desperate. "That might be easier."

"Well," Eugene replied, leaning back, "we were just out on the balcony one morning, looking out over the Kingdom. I had the ring on me, and I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. Pretty standard stuff," he admitted, "but at that point it was basically a sure thing. You know how it goes."

"Well, no, not really," Jack said, now even more confused than he had been before coming into the room. "So, I can just ask her the question whenever, if I think it's a 'sure thing'?"

"Well, that's still risky," Eugene said. "I knew I could pull it off, because, well… I'm me," he finished, flashing Jack a winning smile. "But you're not me."

"No, I'm not," Jack said, taking the ring and slipping its box back into his pocket. "Thanks for the help, guys. I'll see you around."

"You're welcome," Olaf called after him as Jack left the room. "Just be yourself, and I'm sure it'll all turn out fine!"

Jack was ten steps down the hall before he realized he hadn't told Olaf not to tell Elsa about what he was planning. He turned around and made to go back, only to catch the sight of someone wearing a light, turquoise-blue dress coming down the other end of the hall.

Jack turned back around and beat a hasty retreat down the hall, looking for one last person to ask for advice.

* * *

Jack hesitated for a moment in front of the door to Rapunzel's room, taking a calming breath before knocking. If this didn't work, he was just going to have to improvise and hope for the best. He raised his hand and knocked twice, getting his fidgeting out of the way now before the actual conversation started.

"Come in, it's open," Rapunzel said from within the room, and Jack opened the door.

"Hey," he began, "can I ask you someth—?"

The rest of his sentence got caught in Jack's throat when he saw that Rapunzel wasn't alone. Elsa was sitting at the table across from her, thinking over a play in a game of cards.

_Crap._

By the time Jack pieced together that he'd mistakenly identified the approaching young woman from earlier, he must have looked like he was about to throw himself out a nearby window judging by the looks on Rapunzel and Elsa's faces.

"Jack?" Elsa asked, frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"I… maybe?" he said at last, feeling like he was about to melt into the floor in embarrassment. "Can I… ask you something?" he said, fighting not to blush as he hazarded a glance over at Rapunzel. "In private," he added, and the Princess got the message at once. Rapunzel rose to her feet and put down her hand of cards, curtseying to Elsa before making her way over towards the door. As she walked by Jack on her way out, she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Good luck," she said, and Jack could hear the smile in her voice.

He tried to catch his breath without making it obvious, certain that he failed.

"Jack?" Elsa asked again when they were alone, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, reaching into his pocket and letting his hand rest over the box. "I just… wasn't expecting you to be here. I thought I saw you in the hall earlier, and then…" Jack sighed, slumping forward slightly. "Great," he said, "I'm already messing it up."

"Messing what up?" Elsa asked, moving over to near where Jack was standing. "You sure nothing's wrong?"

Jack paused, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly, willing the tension out of his muscles. He lifted his head back up, closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them again. Elsa's slightly troubled expression was waiting for him, and just looking into her eyes Jack felt all his misgivings vanishing away.

"Absolutely," he said, smiling as his voice ceased shaking. "I made you something. It's for your birthday, but… I wanted to give it to you earlier. Since I figured tomorrow would be really busy, and all."

"Well, that's very thoughtful of you," Elsa said, her frown turning into a smile. "Thank you, Jack. What is it?"

Jack took his hand out of his pocket, closed into a fist around the ring's box. He held it out and opened his fingers up slowly, remembering too late that he'd forgotten to get down on one knee. Oh well.

Elsa's face went through several expressions in the span of the next few seconds: from the initial confusion, to dawning understanding, to surprise, to raw emotion and finally to almost hesitant, unsure happiness, as if she was worried she was about to wake up from some dream.

"Jack," she said at last, "is that…?"

"Why don't you open up the box and see?" he said. "I'm not gonna spoil the surprise."

Elsa reached out with slightly-trembling hands and took the box, holding it for a few moments before opening it. When she saw the ring, the Queen gasped in surprise.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, reaching in and delicately removing the ring from its pillow. She put it on and held it up to the light to admire it, taking a few moments before she suddenly remembered there was something else they needed to say to each other.

"Sorry," she apologized, smiling in embarrassment. "Is this what I think it is, Jack?"

He smiled.

"If you want it to be, it is," he answered. "What do you say, Elsa?"

The Queen grinned, her eyes bright with happiness.

"Yes," she said, "I do."

Jack's smile bloomed into a laugh, and he drew Elsa into a hug. A moment later she leaned back just far enough to kiss him instead, and the two of them lost themselves in their happiness.

Until they heard a muffled sound on the other side of the door that sounded like a squeal of glee, at least.

The pair broke apart again and shared a knowing smile, shaking their heads before turning to face the door.

"Get in here, you guys," Elsa called out.

Anna opened the door a moment later, and she, Eugene, Rapunzel, Kristoff and Olaf all spilled into the room.

"Sorry," Rapunzel apologized a few moments later, not looking at all sorry. "I just couldn't resist."

Congratulations, cheers and well-wishes filled the room for minutes afterward, and only intensified once Eugene had left and returned with a few bottles of champagne.

"Not bad, buddy," he said as he raised a glass to Jack. "I knew you could do it."

The rest of the group answered the toast with a round of cheers, and Jack smiled in relief.

"Did you think I was going to say no?" Elsa asked him, while everyone else was busy talking amongst themselves for the moment.

"No, not really," Jack answered. "I just wanted to make sure I did it right."

"You were great," Elsa assured him. "And since you're not asleep this time, I'll say it right: I love you, Jack."

Jack smiled.

"I love you too, Elsa."

The sun was beginning to set by the time the impromptu party died down, and the now-official couple laid down to a blissful night's sleep.

Elsa already knew that the morning would bring the best birthday she'd ever had.

* * *

…

…

**A/N: **I was originally going to leave this story done at three chapters, but the more I thought about it the more I thought it could benefit from a little extra, fluffy closure. So here we are!

Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks as always for reading!

**- JP**


End file.
